One of the women arrested this week for allegedly running an illegal massage parlor in Milford dubbed "The Sunshine Spa" was charged with prostitution six years ago in Texas, court records show.

Lan Wu Pechacek, 51, of 118 Thoreau Way, Lawrence, has a criminal record in Houston, according to an affidavit filed by Milford police Detective Sgt. Jason Ball. The record shows that the prostitution charge was later reduced to disorderly conduct.

Also, Pechacek was found guilty in 2009 of violating Texas regulations on massage therapy licenses, according to the affidavit.

Her partner in the business, Liping Yung, 52, of 17 Prospect St., Stoughton, does not have a criminal record, Ball's affidavit says.

Milford police arrested Pechacek and Yung on Tuesday afternoon after a three-week investigation, sparked by a posting on Backpage.com, into The Sunshine Spa, 231 East Main St., Suite 202.

They have been charged with offering sexual conduct for a fee, keeping a house of prostitution/ill fame and massaging without a license. If convicted of the second charge, they could face up to two years in prison.

The women were arraigned Thursday morning in Milford District Court and released on the $500 bail that they posted following their arrest. Not guilty pleas have been entered on their behalf, and they have hired two Worcester attorneys.

Through a Mandarin interpreter, Judge Robert Calagione spoke to Pechacek, who wore a metallic black jacket and bejeweled high heels, and Yung, who was wearing a puffy white coat.

Calagione ordered both to give up their passports. But he allowed Pechacek to travel abroad in the coming months for her son’s wedding, with the stipulation that the court receives her passport when she returns on June 17.

Court officials declined to say where Pechacek was headed or why she was given permission to go overseas despite police labeling her a "flight risk."

Her attorney, Steven Rubin, did not return a call seeking comment.

Timothy Connolly, spokesman for Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Joseph Early Jr., said bail conditions are a judge’s province.

The Sunshine Spa has a business license under "spa and massage," police said. Detective Sgt. Ball, however, said neither Pechacek nor Yung have a massage license in Massachusetts.

Ball said that detectives became aware of the business through a posting on Backpage.com in the categories of "Boston adult entertainment" and "Boston body rubs."

The post went up on Feb. 27 and March 2, 6, 13 and 18. It mentions, in part, "very kind, caring, warm Asian hands."

On Saturday, Ball said, police saw two men entering the spa at different times. Both men revealed that it was their second visit to the business, Ball said.

The men knew the proprietors as "Lulu and Lily," Ball said. They said that on Saturday they paid $70 for a massage and then $40 afterwards to have "their genitals touched causing ejaculation," according to the detective.

Page 2 of 2 -
Ball told the Daily News on Tuesday that the men are not facing charges because they cooperated with police.

Pechacek and Yung are due back in court June 21 for pretrial hearings.

Matt Tota can be reached at 508-634-7521 or mtota@wickedlocal.com. For news throughout the day, follow him on Twitter @MattTotaMDN.